One of the first things my Mom taught me how to make was stir fry. I remember her preparing all the vegetables, telling me to add the ones that take longer to cook first like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Then to add the celery, onions and finally garlic. Here is my rendition and really you can add whatever you want in the way of veggies, etc.

Serves 4. Time: prep 25-30 min, cook 30 min (rice depends on if you use instant pot or on the stove, for this recipe the rice takes 25 min)

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice, or whatever kind you want
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• ~1 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
• ~1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2-3/4 cup onion, sliced and roughly chopped
• 1-2 celery ribs, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, fine chop; more to taste
• 1-2 chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/3 cup broth, this time I used vegetable broth but chicken broth works better for this recipe
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili oil, optional
• 1 tsp Sriracha, optional
• fun, optional, additional ideas: bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn
• top with sesame seeds and sliced scallions for serving

Method

• Start the rice. I use an instant pot so here’s how thats done if your interested: add the rice and water with a pinch of salt. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes (with brown rice, that is.)
• Combine broth, soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, chili oil and white pepper and set aside
• Make sure you use a pan large enough to eventually accommodate all the ingredients without difficulty stirring the contents.
• Combine salt and corn starch, then add to chicken and try to evenly coat. Add oil to nonstick pan and heat up. Toss in the chicken, stirring frequently until cooked through. The timing behind this step depends largely on how thin you sliced the chicken. Consider the fact that you will cook it a bit more later.
• Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
• Increase the heat to medium-high.
• Add more oil to the pan and add the carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms
• Cook, stirring frequently for approx. 5-7 minutes. Assess whether you might need more oil, if so, add it.
• Add the celery and onion, continuing to stir everything to cook evenly for another 5-7 minutes.
• Add the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and baby corn to the mix.
• Add garlic, stir and cook another minute or so until fragrant.
• Return chicken to pan and add broth mixture.
• Bring to a nice, low boil mixing all ingredients then reduce to low to simmer until sauce thickens about 7-9 min or so.
• Taste the sauce to see if you want to add more soy sauce and/or sriracha, or just put them out when you serve it so everyone can add to their tastes.
• Serve with rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions